Dubai’s ‘in-between’ Southasians

3 March 2014

Neha Vora examines the past and present of Indians living in Dubai and grapples with issues related to their identity and belonging.

Southasians make up a large part of the population in the Gulf countries, particularly in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. On landing in Dubai or in Doha, one does not have the impression of being in a West Asian country, but in Southasia. This explains why, over recent years, more and more research has focused on Southasian populations in the Gulf, sometimes through radical perspectives engendered by the large-scale exploitation of low-paid workers. Non-governmental organisations like Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International have regularly reported on the conditions of exploited workers in the Gulf, most recently looking at Qatar in the lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The recent announcement that World Expo 2020 will be held in Dubai is likely push the issue of low-paid workers into the limelight once again…

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